Page 237 - September 2023

Dollar Bill’s winning connections include owner Celeste Martinez, trainer Juan Diaz Jr. and jockey Jose Herbert.
Juvenile, and a second in the March 25 Louisiana Downs Futurity-G2 in five starts. Herbert chose Dollar Bill to ride in the TQHA Sale Futurity final.
“Honestly, Dollar Bill has run well for us all year,” said Diaz. “He was solid in his trials and came back strong at Louisiana Downs and in the Juvenile at Sam Houston. Jose thought about which horse to ride
in this final, but decided on Dollar Bill. When he came into the winner’s circle, he winked at me and said, ‘I think I made the right choice!’”
Dollar Bill earned $311,500 for the TQHA Sale Futurity victory, bringing his total earn- ings to $396,793.
Diaz was winning his second consecutive TQHA Sale Futurity, having taken the race last year with Bye Corona Bye. He trains Dollar Bill for owner Celeste Martinez.
Tyler and Naia Graham bred Dollar Bill
in Texas, and Tyler consigned the youngster
to the yearling sale. Tyler is the co-breeder of Champion Kiss My Hocks and also raced him in partnership. The stallion had three qualifiers in the TQHA Sale Futurity.
“This is the first time we qualified three in a final,” said Graham. “Dollar Bill was imma- ture in the beginning but is one of the best movers and gets better each time.”
The Grahams bred Dollar Bill from the unraced PYC Paint Your Wagon mare Jakes Painted Wagon. The mare has produced four winners from five starters. Graham bought Jakes Painted Wagon for $30,000 at the 2015 Heritage Place Yearling Sale from breeder Gary Kurz. The second dam is Jakes Charming Jody. For Kurz Jakes Charming Jody won the 2012 Blink of an Eye Stakes at Remington Park and was graded stakes-placed.
Diaz trains second-place Colleys Cartel (Carters Cartel-A Friend In
The Sky) for owner Josefina Guzman. Francisco Calderon rode the gelding, who earlier this year ran third in the Sam Houston Futurity-G2.
Hardtotempt (Tempting Dash-Hardtoget), another trained by Diaz and the third-place finisher, is owned by Trey Malechek III. Agustin Silva rode the filly, a three-time win- ner in five previous starts.
Rounding out the field were Gotagogh (Favorite Cartel-Signs Zoomer), Hock It Is (Kiss My Hocks-Maddona), Hollywoode (Hawkeye-Thriving Ivory), Line Drive Dash (Tempting Dash-Shazooms Pop Pop), Unseen Nme (Kiss My Hocks-Kirklyns Dynasty), Chilitas (Apollitical Jess-Mary Me Anna), and Jessa Tempting You (Tempting Dash-Jessa Leaving You).
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SPEEDHORSE September 2023 235
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